Josh Deutsch is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician and composer. Primarily known as a trumpet player, he is a founding member of the Queens Jazz Overground, leads the band Pannonia and the Josh Deutsch Quintet, and performs regularly in a duo with guitarist Nico Soffiato. Deutsch is also an educator, who has taught privately and at various institutions including the Queens College CPSM and the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, as well as mentoring at the Young Composers and Improvisors Workshop. He has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia during his career.

Early life and education

Deutsch was born and raised in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. He began playing piano and composing music at the age of five, then added the trumpet in middle and high school. He received his bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies from the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

, where he studied with

Danilo Pérez Danilo Pérez (born December 29, 1966) is a Panamanian pianist, composer, educator, and a social activist. His music is a blend of Panamanian roots with elements of Latin American folk music, jazz, European impressionism, African, and other mu ...

Bob Brookmeyer Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombone, valve trombonist, Jazz piano, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public ...

, John McNeill, Allan Chase and composer

Lee Hyla Lee Hyla (August 31, 1952 – June 6, 2014) was an American classical music composer from Niagara Falls, New York. He received the Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for ...

. Deutsch received his Masters of Music in Jazz Performance and Composition in 2009 from the

Performing & Recording

Deutsch is the leader of the band Pannonia, which he formed in 2011 and whose debut recording, ''Another Time, Another Place'' was released in 2014. Downbeat named it a January 2014 editors pick and notes: "This well-planned, beautifully executed program draws on influences from practically everywhere. Deutsch seems to be obsessive on details, and he’s hell-bent on making music that’s just a little (or perhaps a *lot*) different than what you’ve heard before." Deutsch also performs in a duo with guitarist Nico Soffiato that has toured extensively in Italy and the United States. ''Guitar International'' hailed their recording ''Time Gels'' (2011) as "an elegant, fresh take on the timeless (duo) tradition" and praised the duo's ability to "perform as a cohesive unit with improvisational vigor and mature musicianship." Deutsch and Soffiato host the 2x3 Series, presenting a trio of diverse duos in a night of separate and collaborative performances at various NYC venues. The trumpeter also plays regularly and has recorded with Argentinian singer/composer Sofia Rei, Pedro Giraudo's Expansions Big Band, the Australian soul/funk band The Hipstones and Nathan Parker Smith's Large Ensemble. Deutsch has also performed with Michael Bates' Outside Sources and the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

Big Band directed by

Victor Goines Victor Louis Goines (born August 6, 1961) is a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who has served as president and chief executive officer of Jazz St. Louis since September 2022. From 2000 to 2007, he was director of the jazz program at Juilliard. ...

. He has presented his own projects at

Dave Douglas David or Dave Douglas may refer to: Entertainment * David Douglas (director) (born 1953), Canadian cinematographer, director and writer * Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz trumpeter * Dave Douglas (drummer) (born 1979), American ...

's Festival of New Trumpet Music as well as at the Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle and the Outpost Summer Music Festival in Albuquerque and has appeared in the U.S. at The Jazz Gallery and The Stone in New York City and at Yoshi's in Oakland, among other locations.

Teaching

Deutsch has appeared as a clinician and conducted master classes throughout the U.S. He was on the faculty of the

Oregon Festival of American Music {{Use American English, date=December 2024 Oregon Festival of American Music is an eclectic, thematically-based summer music festival that has been held annually in Eugene, Oregon since 1992. Produced by The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, ...

's Summer Jazz Academy from 2007 through 2009 and of the

Summer Jazz Camp from 2007 to the present. In 2008, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Oregon for his work with large and small jazz ensembles and private improvisation students. He currently offers private instruction in trumpet, piano, improvisation, composition and music theory in New York City where he is on the faculty of the Queens College CPSM and a mentor in the Young Composers and Improvisors Workshop.

Composing

Deutsch writes music in multiple genres and his compositions and arrangements have been performed by artists ranging from the

Seattle Symphony Orchestra The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchest ...

and cellist Ruth Marshall to the Oregon Jazz Ensemble,

Ron Miles Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986), Capri Records (Jazz record label), Capri (1990), and Rykodisc, Gramavision. His final album, ...

and

. He has received commissions from the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

radio program ''From The Top'', the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Music Northwest and the Head-Royce School. In addition to having composed hundreds of pieces for various performing ensembles, Deutsch has also written several long-form pieces including "The Ligeti Project," a 12-movement, cross-genre work for jazz septet that has been performed on both the East and West Coasts that is based loosely on

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

's ''Musica Ricercata''.

Discography

As a leader/co-leader

* Josh Deutsch/Nico Soffiato, ''Redshift'' (nusica.org, 2020) * Pannonia, ''Another Time, Another Place'' (Alternate Side Records, 2014) * Josh Deutsch/Nico Soffiato, ''Time Gels'' (2011) * Four Across, ''Four Across'' (8bells/Circavision, 2008) * The Poisonous Birds, ''Live @ Jo Fed's'' (2008)

As a sideman

* Sofia Rei, ''De Tierra y Oro'' (Cascabelera/Lillihouse, 2012) * Brian Adler, ''Helium Music Project'' (Circavision, 2013)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deutsch, Josh Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Musicians from Seattle 21st-century American trumpeters 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians